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OU football: Trey Sermon not the first Sooner running back to transfer

Trey Sermon is transferring to Ohio State, and there should be no ill will towards the tailback who gave the Sooners three good years. The same roads that bring in transfers can take transfers out.

And besides, there’s some irony in Sermon becoming a Buckeye. His watershed moment as a Sooner came in Ohio Stadium, in Sermon’s second college game: 62 yards rushing on 17 carries, with three catches for 23 yards and a touchdown. The latter was a fourth-quarter score that gave OU a 24-13 lead in an eventual 31-16 victory.

Sermon began that day as the second-team tailback (Abdul Adams started) and ended the season as the second-team tailback (Rodney Anderson became a star). But Sermon showed toughness and reliability that night in Columbus, leading to a career that included 2,076 rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns.

Sermon was led to transfer, apparently, by Kennedy Brooks’ ascension to the No. 1 tailback slot. Sermon’s departure leaves the Sooners a little shy of tailback depth.

But this is nothing new. OU football history is full of excellent running backs who transferred out. Here is a list of 25 notables:

1. Marcus Dupree, 1982-83: Transferred to Southern Miss but never played. Played in the World Football League and eventually for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams but never again showed the promise he did as a Sooner, when he rushed for 1,513 yards on 209 carries in 1-1/2 seasons.

2.Mike Thomas, 1972: As a ’72 sophomore, Thomas played behind the likes of Greg Pruitt, Joe Wylie and Joe Washington as a wishbone halfback. But Thomas reeled off a 90-yard touchdown run against Oregon. He finished the season with 134 yards on 10 carries, then transferred to Nevada-Las Vegas. Thomas was the Redskins’ fifth-round pick in the 1975 NFL Draft. He was the offensive rookie of the year, then made the Pro Bowl in ’76. For his six-year career, Thomas rushed for 4,196 yards.

3. Dexter Bussey, 1971: As a sophomore halfback, Bussey never carried the ball in that breakout season of ’71. He transferred to Texas-Arlington, eventually was a third-round pick of the Detroit and played 11 seasons with the Lions, finishing his career with 5,105 rushing yards. That’s third all-time in Detroit history, behind only Barry Sanders and Billy Sims.

4. Glyn Milburn, 1988: Played sparingly as a freshman, with one catch and just 124 yards rushing. But Milburn had loads of potential and showed it at Stanford, where in three seasons he had 142 catches and 2,234 yards rushing, before a nine-year pro career in which he was one of the NFL’s best kick returners.

5. Freddie Sims, 1981-82: A budding star after rushing for 181 yards in the 1981 Sun Bowl, Sims rushed for 667 yards as a 1982 sophomore. But he didn’t want to be Dupree’s fullback, so Sims transferred to Pima Community College, with the anticipation of transferring to the University of Arizona. That didn’t work out. Sims came back to Oklahoma, went to Rose State Junior College and tried to regain his OU eligibility. That, too, failed, and Sims never played again.

6. Trey Sermon, 2017-19: Sermon is the only Sooner ever with at least 2,000 yards rushing to transfer.

7. Tashard Choice, 2004: Ran for 100 yards as a freshman tailback but was playing behind fellow freshman Adrian Peterson. Choice transferred to Georgia Tech and had a splendid career – 3,365 yards rushing in three seasons. Then Choice played six NFL seasons, rushing for 1,579 yards.

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8. Jimmy Edwards, 1970: Out of Classen High School, Edwards didn’t last long at OU, leaving school early in his freshman season. He transferred to Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe) and became a star. Edwards went to the Canadian Football League, was its player of the year in 1977 and eventually spent the 1979 season with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. He led the league in kickoff return average, 25.1 yards.

9. Keith Ford, 2014: Ran for 526 yards on 94 carries in two OU seasons, then transferred to Texas A&M and gained 1,217 yards in two seasons. Played in two NFL games.

10. Brandon Williams, 2011: Rushed for 219 yards as a freshman, then transferred to Texas A&M, where he rushed for 651 yards on 132 carries over three seasons. Then spent three years as an NFL cornerback.

11. Abdul Adams, 2017: Rushed for 825 yards in two Sooner seasons, including a memorable 99-yard run at Baylor in 2017. Transferred to Syracuse and rushed for 355 yards on 87 carries.

12. Bobby Joe Green, 1955: Left OU after one season, transferred to Northeastern A&M Junior College, eventually went to Florida and spent 14 seasons as an NFL punter.

13. Alex Ross, 2015: Rushed for 786 yards in three Sooner seasons – and had a game-turning kickoff return for a touchdown at West Virginia in 2014 – then transferred to Missouri, where in 2016 Ross rushed for 71 yards on 24 carries.

14. Alvin Ross, 1983: Big-time recruit who rushed for 402 yards on 90 carries in 1981 and 1983, then eventually transferred to Central Oklahoma.

15. Terry Collier, 1994: Rushed for 463 yards in 1993 as a backup tailback but played sparingly in 1994 and, along with his twin brother, Perry, transferred to Alabama-Birmingham.

16. Donald Brown, 1981: Played sparingly (five carries, 19 yards), then transferred to Maryland, had to sit out two seasons because of an enrollment snafu and eventually moved to safety. He played in 18 NFL games as a safety.

17. Clifford Chatman, 1977: Got seven carries in ’77, then transferred to Central Oklahoma and eventually played a few games in the NFL.

18. Jim Mankins, 1962: A freshman fullback in ’62, Mankins balked when Bud Wilkinson wanted to move him to the line. Mankins transferred to a junior college, ended up at Florida State and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1966. He played for the ’67 Atlanta Falcons.

19. Jermie Calhoun, 2010: Ballyhooed recruit rarely played at OU (242 yards in two seasons), then transferred to Angelo State and rushed for 930 yards in 2013.

20. Jonathan Miller, 2011: Played two years at OU, gaining 150 yards on 25 carries, then transferred to Illinois State and had a severe knee injury his first game there.

21. Royce Coleman, 1979: Fullback who rushed for 57 yards in ’79 but eventually transferred to Northwestern State in Alva.

22. Glen Bell, 1988: Carried 11 times for 64 yards, then was charged with rape. While teammates Nigel Clay and Bernard Hall were convicted, Bell was found non-guilty, he transferred to Southeastern State and produced 770 scrimmage yards in two injury-marred seasons.

23. Steve McKeaver, 1979: Carried just three times as a freshman, then transferred to Central Oklahoma and became a star. He was an 11th-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1984.

24. Justin Johnson, 2008: Rushed for 24 yards as a freshman, then transferred to Abilene Christian and eventually to crosstown McMurry.

25. Randy Jones, 1978: Rushed for 87 yards on 16 carries as a freshman, then transferred to Central Oklahoma and helped the Bronchos win the 1982 NAIA national title.

26. Dwight McKissic, 1999: Had one carry at OU, then transferred to Arkansas-Pine Bluff and had a 1,000-yard rushing season.

Berry Tramel, a lifelong Oklahoman, sports fan and newspaper reader, joined The Oklahoman in 1991 and has served as beat writer, assistant sports editor, sports editor and columnist. Tramel grew up reading four daily newspapers — The Oklahoman,...
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